1) How has watching these two Ted Talks changed your perspective on
the roles of games?
Watching these two Ted Talks has shown me that games really can be
used for purposes other than entertainment and to have fun. In the video made
by the Student about his video games experience he says, “Games are becoming
more beautiful than reality”. This idea is interesting but not very appealing
to me. I believe that games can show you a different look to things and take
you places you could never imagine of going, but I do not think that they are
more beautiful than reality. The student also mentioned in his video that he
had driven more kilometers in all the car games he has played than in real
life. This is shocking and kind of frightening. Games are becoming more realistic
as more people study it and all the new technologies are making the graphics
and game play more amazing. Many new games will have places that are imaginary
but look so realistic you couldn’t even tell. I think that the example that Gabe
explained with the Nintendo DS is very interesting and shows how gamification can work
well in a classroom environment. It further proves that games can have other
uses than entertainment. I believe that integrating games within a classroom
can be very effective.
2) Based on the video's, how do you see games "changing the
world"?
I can see games having success integrating with education and possibly
training programs. I think that gamifing these activities can make them more
fun and efficient. Games are great for entertainment and will continue to be.
We can see many instances of gamification in real life situations. An example
of this is soldiers in a war. Many keep a kill count and compare it with other
soldiers, making it a sort of game or competition.
3) What concerns or doubts do you have about games becoming a dominant
cultural force?
I think that games becoming a dominant cultural force could lead to
some things losing their seriousness. Making a game of some things could lead
to people getting out of hand or too competitive. In a classroom environment some
students could feel left out or degraded if they did not achieve the same goal
as another student. I think that after enough attempts and hard work games
could be a dominant cultural force and will become a bigger part of our
everyday lives. I think that they should and will always be a part of
entertainment.
